The Bootstrap team released the first alpha version of the popular front-end framework back in August 2015. In December of the same year, Bootstrap 4 alpha 2 arrived. More experiments are definitely on the way. While we expect the final package release as soon as possible, here are some important information you should know about Bootstrap 4.

1. Less to Sass
Bootstrap 4 has been moved from Less to Sass which means the future is faster than ever with speedier compilation. It also indicates that you will be joining a huge Sass developer community.

2. New Grid System
Bootstrap 4 has overhauled grid system. Ems and rems are used where appropriate instead of pixel to ensure better responsiveness on different sizes of screens, especially mobile devices.

3. Five Major Colors

The upcoming version of Bootstrap has 5 major colors. Each of these colors has its own class and prefix. You can use them in buttons, links, alerts etc.

4. Improved Navigation Bar
The navbar in Bootstrap 3 had so many classes which was a bit tricker to utilize. Bootstrap 4 will have fewer classes than the predecessor. Additionally, the new version will come with more color schemes and menu options.

5. Opt-in Flexbox
You can optionally use CSS3’s Flexbox mode for more responsive layout. Flexbox provides a flexible container that shrinks or expands the element size according to different viewpoints. However, the feature will work on browsers higher than Internet Explorer 9.

6. Easier Customization Options
Unlike v3, gradients, shadows, transitions and so on would not required to be included in a separate stylesheet in v4- rather you can use these options with Saas variables.

7. Compatibility and Support
Bootstrap 4 drops Internet Explorer 8 support to utilize the latest web technologies. Bootstrap 4 will have an improved documentation collection. More realistic examples, better code snippets and advanced search ability are also coming. Support (for example, critical bug fixes) and documentation updates for Bootstrap 3 will be continued. jQuery 2 support has been added to the new version of the framework. All of the JavaScript plugins have been rewritten in ES6 to enjoy benefits of modern web facilities.

What else do you expect or want to share about Bootstrap 4? Please tell us via comments!